Articles, philosophies, tips and suggestions for Game Masters and players on running role-playing games.

Artwork of our various characters and worlds for publication.

If you already have "good stuff" on-line, send us an Internet/Web address with a note pointing out what we should look at for consideration in The Rifter®. Large works may be serialized in sections over two or more issues.

You must include a signed copy of Palladium's Unsolicited Manuscript Form with each submission. It can be mailed to you upon request or you can find it at the end of these guidelines.

A formal agreement will be sent to you if we like what we see and plan to use your work in an upcoming issue. Nothing will be published without a signed agreement.

Payment

Palladium Books is doing The Rifter® as a fan forum and to spread the word about our games. In an attempt to give our fans an opportunity to share ideas, see their work in print, hone their writing skills, and to have fun, we are trying to keep the cost and labor as low as possible. Low cost means we can keep the cover price as low as possible. It also means we are paying dirt cheap prices to contributors. Note: Payments may change from time to time.

{2jtab: Writer "Flat Fee" Payment}

Writer "Flat Fee" Payment:

Roughly ten dollars ($10.00) per "printed" typeset page of text (that's roughly 2 to 2 1/2 single spaced computer pages at 10-11 point size; see, we're even too cheap and lazy to figure out a per word rate). A small bonusmay be paid to truly outstanding works if our budget allows it, and at Palladium Books Inc.'s sole discretion.

Articles and features written by two or more people will have to divide the flat payment between themselves. Palladium will send only one check to one person who represents the team or group.

All payments are made in US dollars.

Plus, each contributor will get three (3) copies of The Rifter® his work appears in and he/she/they will get credit as the author of said work. Additional copies of the book in which an artist or author's work appears may be purchased at a 50% discount, as long as supplies last (may go out of print).

Writer Payment for "Reprinting" the Work Elsewhere. If the work published in The Rifter® is later reprinted in a Palladium RPG sourcebook or other Palladium publication, we will try to pay the writer a small fee again, give him credit, and send him/her a free copy of the publication for his files. We say "try" because sometimes credit isn't possible or we lose touch with the person.

If a large contribution or a series of articles or several works by the same author are collected and reprinted by Palladium as an individual sourcebook all by itself, Palladium will pay that writer(s) our usual flat fee freelance payment for use in that publication (typically in the neighborhood of $1000-3,000 dollars, US funds). Again, Palladium cannot be responsible if the author moves without notifying us and we cannot find him/her/them easily.Note: This does not include additional press runs of The Rifter® in which the feature originally appeared.

In all cases this refers to works published by Palladium, which expressly and obviously incorporate actual work created by the Author and which profits are directly related to the Author's work. Not derivative works written entirely by a different person.

Historically, Palladium Books always tries to credit its writers, artists and contributors and will continue to do so under the current management. Likewise, we usually try to pay the author at least something, for each distinct and separate use in different publications (also historically, we don't do a lot of reprinting).

No payment for other uses in any medium. If a character, robot, weapon, place, idea, etc., is used in any other product: a miniature, toy, book, comic, film, computer game, etc., there is NO additional payment. Furthermore, in most cases, especially with mass market licenses, it is impossible to give the writer credit or a free sample.

No payment for use in advertisements. If an excerpt of text or artwork is used in an advertisement, poster, magazine, give-a-way, or any other means of promotion, no additional payment is due.

Artist "Flat Fee" Payments:

High quality fan and near-professional quality artists will be used to help illustrate The Rifter® along with some new art from the usual Palladium artists and reprinted art.

Payment is abysmal, compared to our usual rates:

Roughly $10.00 for a quarter page illoe.

$25.00 for a half page illoe.

$50.00 for a full page illustration.

Artist Payment for "Reprinting" the Work Elsewhere. If the artwork published in The Rifter® is later reprinted in a Palladium RPG sourcebook or other Palladium publication, we will try to pay the artist no less than the original fee he/she received from The Rifter® for each use of his/her artwork, as well as give him credit, and send him/her a free copy of the publication for his files. We say "try" because sometimes credit isn't possible or we lose touch with the artist. Higher payment is left entirely to the discretion of Palladium Books Inc.

In all cases this refers to artwork published by Palladium, which expressly and obviously incorporate actual work created by the Artist and which profits are directly related to the Artist's work. Not derivative works such as an illustration of the same character by a different artist in a different pose.

No payment for other uses in any medium. If a character, robot, weapon, vehicle, design, logo, etc., is used in any other product: a miniature, toy, book, comic, film, computer game, etc., there is NO additional payment. Furthermore, in most cases, especially with mass market licenses, it is impossible to give the artist credit or a free sample.

No payment for use in advertisements. If an excerpt of text or artwork is used in an advertisement, poster, magazine, give-a-way, or any other means of promotion, no additional payment is due.

A condensed summary of the notable legal stuff & ownership

This is a very blunt, no nonsense breakdown so there can be no confusion. If these terms, conditions and payments are unacceptable to you, then do not submit your work.

Palladium Books Inc. owns all published intellectual properties, including but not limited to articles, text, artwork, characters, world settings, adventures, etc. -- everything!

To preserve our intellectual property rights, Palladium Books must own all rights, lock, stock and barrel. Yes, that means in the future, Palladium could reprint, extrapolate upon, include in a larger published work, post on the Internet, or incorporate into books, comic books, films, toys, miniatures, computer games, artwork, posters, etc., something written by you and published in The Rifter® without your permission, knowledge or, in most cases, additional payment. Note: See Payment for details.

A formal agreement will be sent to you for your signature. It will include a statement in which you indicate your age. If under 18 years old, a parent or guardian must also sign the agreement. It's okay if you are under 18, provided a parent or guardian co-signs.

Feel free to consult an attorney, however, Palladium is not likely to change any of the language, terms or payment in the agreement. Sorry.

We can NOT publish conversion rules for other games.

We can NOT publish famous characters, weapons, vehicles, etc., from other places like Star Wars, Star Trek, superhero comics, films, books, other RPGs, etc.!

Any writing, art or ideas you send to Palladium must be original! It cannot use text or characters from TV shows, comics, films, books, other games or any other source. This must be your original work and you must legally swear to this when you sign our agreement. If you lied, and stole something from another source, you will be held liable and Palladium Books (not to mention the real owner of the material you stole) may sue you for copyright (and/or trademark) infringement and damages. So please, be honest, truthful and original.

Of course, since The Rifter® is a Palladium product based on Palladium's role-playing games, you can draw upon anything published by Palladium. However, be advised that such works are "derivative" and you cannot publish, print, post, sell or distribute them without Palladium's written permission (see our Internet policy and proper copyright notice required for use on-line. www.palladiumbooks.com).

Some technical stuff

Format: This may sound nit-picky, but please follow Palladium's established formats for stat blocks, names/terms, abbreviations, use of underlines, etc. (look at our most recent books for reference). This really does save us time and makes my life easier.

Here are some notable examples: 1D6 with a capital "D" not 1d6, 4d6, etc. Attacks per Melee or Attacks per Melee round, not "Actions." When statting out magic or psionics it should say, Saving Throw, not "Save." Write Player Character, not PC! This is a pet peeve of mine. To me a PC is a Personal Computer, not a "player character." Please spell out the entire word for feet and inches, do not indicate "feet" with the symbol ' or abbreviation "ft," and inches with " or in. Please try to include metric equivalents whenever possible. These should be placed in parenthesis, e.g.: 10 feet (3 m). The basic metric formula is as follows: Meters: 0.3048 m equals one foot, so multiplying feet by .3048 will give you the equivalent in meters. Kilometers: 1.6 km (kilometers) equals one mile. Kilograms: 0.45 kg (kilograms) equals one pound. Tons: Yes there is a metric ton, but as far as I'm concerned, a ton is a ton -- no metrics required. Please include all stats, like Rate of Fire, etc. Please put the periods in things like O.C.C., R.C.C., P.P.E., I.S.P., I.Q., P.S. and other attributes. Rail gun is two separate words. Use your computer spell checker, if you have one. Do not double space between sentences. Single space. Do not double space between lines. Single space. Do not do your manuscript in columns or in any special font or format. It will all be stripped out for typesetting! Do put in bolds and underlines, especially in stat blocks, but please follow Palladium's format. Headlines are bold, and upper and lower case, not all CAPS or underlined. Try not to scatter O.C.C. descriptions and equipment descriptions throughout the book. We use Word Perfect, Times New Roman, 10 pt.

Send a Disk (ideally World Perfect, though MS Word will do) with your submission on it and a printed copy of your submission, or if you’re submitting something that’s on the web for approval first when it’s accepted we will need a disk with all of the HTML codes taken out.

Some Words of Advice

1. First and foremost, let your imagination cut loose and have fun! In some ways, writing an RPG supplement is just a more formal, written version of your preparations as a Game Master for one of your game sessions. Try not to be too self-conscious about your writing. This also means relax and be yourself. Don't try to be Hemingway or Stephen King, write naturally, cleanly and interestingly.

2. Remember, this is entertainment, so the writing should be lively and entertaining. I try to write in a conversational manner. Of course, everything shouldn't be bubbling with excitement, a stat block is a stat block.

3. Present your ideas in a clear, concise way -- from A to Z.

4. Please try to follow the existing history and continuity! Reread some of Palladium's past books in the product line you're writing for, and make sure the people, places, technology, magic, etc., fit.

5. Envision the "big picture." You have to consider the old with the new and how the new fits together with the past and existing items. Furthermore, stop to consider how it may impact the people who use it, their society, the manufacturer/seller, and outside factions like the Coalition States, ravaging monsters, rival kingdoms or businesses, and so on. For example, a big powerful, high-tech manufacturing city, or sprawling, densely populated community in North America is not likely to have escaped the scrutiny of the CS. What does the CS think about it/them? Is it a potential military target, have they approached the city to enlist it as an ally, is it earmarked for destruction, subversion, or subjugation like so many others? Or is it beneath the Coalition's notice, but if so, why and/or how?

6. Too much power is not a good thing. Look at some of our most recent books and gauge your stats accordingly. Keeping a balance is important. However, go with what you think or feel is appropriate. It is easy for me to reduce or increase stats as I think is best; it's not a big deal.

{/2jtabs}

Well, those are the basics. If we haven't scared you away, and you're ready to give The Rifter® a try, contact us via E-Mail or conventional mail. Good Luck.